The best gaming laptops of 2025: Check out our top picks ahead of Amazon Prime Day

Read Mashable's full review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a great mid-budget gaming laptop that has a little bit of everything. From the MacBook-like design (which kind of reminds us of Razer's popular gaming laptops), to the gorgeous display, to the top-tier keyboard and impressive performance, this laptop is our overall top pick for anyone looking to get into PC gaming on a portable level.

If you want a high-end gaming laptop that won't break the bank but also don't want to go the budget route, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a mid-point option that we think is a great value for the money. Gedeon, who reviewed the laptop, lauded the machine's MacBook-esque build. "The ROG Zephyrus G14 is perfect for those who want to bring a respectable, MacBook Pro-esque laptop to the office — before gaming at night with a beastly gaming rig," she wrote, referring to the computer's dual speaker grilles as CNC aluminum unibody chassis highlights that are similar to its Apple counterpart. Unlike a MacBook, though, the G14 actually has a decent variety of ports.

Gedeon also really enjoyed the laptop's OLED display, which produced extremely crisp visuals and colors. However, one knock against it is that the display just isn't bright enough overall — not a dealbreaker, though. The keyboard layout and feel are also high points, and the laptop's speakers sound good enough that we question if you even need a gaming headset while you play. As for performance, the ROG Zephyrus G14 easily passed our Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark tests with flying colors. Battery life is good, not great at one hour and 17 minutes.

When it comes to downsides, there aren't many. Aside from the display brightness, the most glaring issue with this laptop is that it tends to run extremely hot.

The Razer Blade 14 sits right at the intersection of gaming laptops and productivity laptops. The battery performs well in both departments, and we can definitely see it being a gamer's "do it all" machine. If you've got the budget and you want a gaming laptop that is both powerful and portable, the Razer Blade 14 might be your dream gaming laptop.

In a world filled with chunky gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 14 stands out. It is, by far, the best thin and compact laptop we've tested. Now, you'd probably think that the Blade sacrifices some power to get it as portable as it is, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. This laptop is an absolute powerhouse, and not just for its size, but for any gaming laptop. During our testing period, it ran beautifully whether we were streaming via the cloud or playing demanding titles natively. It stayed relatively cool throughout gameplay, too.

Another big highlight of the Razer Blade 14 is the device's battery life. Gaming laptops are known to have extremely short battery lives, but the Blade is well above average in that department. We got around four hours of heavy gameplay (non-cloud) before needing to recharge, which might not sound like a lot, but when most other gaming laptops are putting up numbers in the one- to two-hour range, it's a very welcome upgrade. When you do end up needing a charge, the device re-ups quickly and gets you right back in the game.

With the Blade 14, you'll also get access to the Razer Synapse app, which is a great tool for tailoring your experience with the machine. You can use it to further optimize your battery and component usage, which may get you some extra juice, as well as customization for RGB lighting, key mapping, and more. We also thought that the display was totally stunning.

Our gripes with the Razer Blade 14 come down to just two points. One might deter you from picking one up at all, and it's the cost. The build we tested — which was decked out with all the highest possible specs — comes in at a steep $2,699. While we absolutely loved this laptop, we hope the next iteration isn't so overkill on the sticker price. You can opt to go for the lower-level specs, but that'll come out to a total of $2,199. The other point, though much smaller, is the laptop's touchpad. It felt just a little too tough to press down, but you may not have the same issue.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Nitro V 15.

There aren't many gaming laptops under $1,000 that are actually worth buying, but the Acer Nitro V 15 (formerly known as the Acer Nitro 5) is one of our favorites in this price range. (Plus, it recently dropped in price, and as of this writing, it's on sale for $799.99.) If you're looking to save some cash but still want a high-quality gaming laptop, this is the mid-range model you should buy.

The laptop's low price wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't also a rock-solid performer, which it totally is. In fact, it has a lot of the same inner components as a few of the more expensive options in this roundup, and it exceeded our expectations when running demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077. Gedeon praised the Nitro V 15's performance but also marked the laptop's thermals and quiet, balanced keyboards as highlights. We were also impressed with the device's wide variety of port options and enjoyed the overall design.

The Acer Nitro V 15 does come with some downsides, though. Most notably, the display doesn't get all that bright, which undercuts the laptop's great performance by hindering the visuals. It's also a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but a lot of laptops are these days. It runs pretty loud and the battery life isn't anything to write home about, but these cons are to be expected when picking up a budget-level device. All in all, the Acer Nitro V 15 is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a high-performing laptop for under $1,000. 

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE.

The budget Acer Chromebook 516 GE promises its users a fantastic cloud-based PC gaming experience, and in our testing, it definitely delivers. At this price point, quality gaming laptops are hard to come by, but the Chromebook 516 GE breaks that mold by offering top-notch performance during gaming and general use, a beautiful display, killer perks, and more for $649. Thankfully, it regularly goes on sale for under $500 — especially at Best Buy, where it's currently sitting at only $419. If you're looking for the intersection of quality and value, you'll find it here.

If you're not familiar with cloud gaming yet, it's the equivalent of watching content through an app like Netflix: You'll be streaming games rather than downloading them or owning a physical copy. That means no load times to start playing, no downloads, and no updates. Sometimes, this can result in poor game quality and choppy performance, but this laptop doesn't have those problems. We used Xbox Game Pass as our cloud platform of choice during testing, and we had an overall great experience (we also used an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, which connected easily).

We played single-player games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Rollerdrome, and Cyberpunk 2077, as well as online multiplayer games like Sea of Thieves, Mortal Kombat 11, and Fortnite — all of which require fast and responsive performance to play as intended. We're happy to report that every game we booted up ran swimmingly, save for a slight loss in fidelity (which is extremely common with cloud gaming). We also experienced zero input lag or stuttering, an impressive feat.

Luckily, you won't be beholden to Game Pass. Along with your purchase, you can redeem three free months of NVIDIA GeForce Now at the Priority level, which grants you access to NVIDIA's high-end cloud servers with enhanced resolution and frame rate. You get other perks, too, including three months of YouTube Premium, a year's worth of Google One cloud storage, and a month of access to Boosteroid. As we said, the value for your money here is stellar.

Aside from the gaming-centric features, the Acer Chromebook 516GE is also a really solid laptop in general. The build quality feels durable and sturdy like a gaming laptop should, and it features a nice RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting tech that's incredible to type on. You'll also get a bevy of ports, including USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet. The real showstopper is the laptop's display — the 16-inch, 1600p screen looks fantastic and boasts clear, bright, and vibrant colors. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is amazing for a budget gaming laptop (even though you can't drop it down to save some battery life).

Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry also enjoyed his time with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE, citing display and performance as highlights as well. He used NVIDIA's GeForce Now app mostly during testing and said it performed better than Game Pass, at least at the Ultimate subscription tier. We can't speak to the free tier, but it's probably closer to the base Game Pass experience. All in all, Perry also agrees that this gaming Chromebook is a great value for the price, especially on sale.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Predator Helios 16.

The Acer Predator 16 is a pricey machine when configured with its top-of-the-line specs, but if you're looking to run AAA games at high settings, this gaming laptop will get you the mileage you need. It's also got lots of different ports, a top-tier thermal design that keeps things from getting too hot, and a really nice matte display.

You probably saw the price tag of the Acer Predator Helios 16 and rolled your eyes into the back of your head. We don't blame you — it's a very pricey gaming laptop at $2,299 (unless you go for the lower-end specs, which start at $1,699.99), but after our testing, we came away with the opinion that it's worth the investment if you want to be running big-name titles at their highest settings.

The Helios 16 features a discrete RTX 4080 GPU that allows the machine to run pretty much any game you could think of at high settings. During her review period, Mashable Freelancer Sarah Chaney was able to get a consistent 80 frames per second while playing Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS turned off, which is pretty impressive for a laptop. What's more impressive is that the computer runs extremely cool, even when being pushed to its limits. The fans can get a bit loud, but it's a fair tradeoff for the great thermal design, and you can barely hear them over gameplay.

We also loved the 16-inch, 1600p display, which has a 240Hz refresh rate and a three milisecond response time. The bezels are actually pretty small for a gaming laptop, and the screen takes up a nice amount of real estate (especially with its 16:10 aspect ratio). While hi-res, stutter-free, and bright, we did wish the colors popped a little bit more, but overall, the display looked gorgeous throughout usage.

Another highlight is the laptop's port diversity, which includes nine separate ports. Those are as follows:

• Ethernet (RJ-45) port

• USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port

• microSD card reader

• Headset jack

• Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports

• Kensington lock slot

• DC-in power port

• HDMI 2.1 output port with HDCP support

• Two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports

We also enjoyed the full-size keyboard, which could've had better feedback, but still feels great to type on. Having the F row, arrow keys, and numpad came in handy on more than one occasion. The only downside that we experienced during testing was the laptop's subpar battery life. Three hours and 42 minutes isn't out of the ordinary for gaming laptops, but at this price, we had hoped for more.

Gaming laptops aren't always a great option for taking on the go. They can get bulky, and almost always need to be plugged into an outlet because of their limited battery lives. The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ solves that issue, though — it features a thin and light design that's perfect for chucking in a bag, plus a battery life that can stand up to way more expensive options. On top of that, the Stealth A16 AI+ performs really well under pressure, scoring decently high marks on our benchmark tests, and throws in a beautiful display that produces a vivid range of colors. It's not the cheapest pick on our list, but if you're looking for a gaming laptop that's low-key and can still perform at a high level without spontaneously combusting on your next trip, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ was basically made for you.

The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is one of the better compact gaming laptops we've tested — it reminds us a lot of Razer's popular Blade series of laptops, which are known for their compact design and long battery lives without making big sacrifices in the performance department. The 16-inch laptop is sleek and minimalistic, which will fit in nicely with those who aren't really into the "gamer aesthetic." The outer part of the chassis is a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but wipes down easily.

The Stealth A16 AI+ makes a good impression under the hood as well. Immediately, we were impressed with the vibrant 1600p display. It's crystal clear, and the range of colors the screen produces is impressive. The keyboard feels nice to type on, but where the laptop misses the mark is in its trackpad. It's responsive when moving the mouse around, but clicking doesn't give enough feedback and ends up feeling mushy. Not a dealbreaker, though. The Stealth A16 AI+'s performance is another highlight, scoring well on our CPU, GPU, and battery benchmark tests. Gameplay felt smooth, and we didn't encounter any hiccups or overheating during our testing period. The laptop's battery life was pretty remarkable, getting us 10 hours of regular usage and three to four hours while gaming. The speakers sounded OK, but as with most gaming laptops, we recommend playing with a good gaming headset. We also appreciated the device's variety of built-in ports.

The price tag is steep, but if you're a PC gamer who travels often and doesn't play much with handhelds, we think the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is worth the investment for its ultra-portable design and long battery life (among other highlights).

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Omen 17.

If you're looking to get a gaming laptop that doesn't have the "Capital-G Gamer" aesthetic, the HP Omen 17's more minimalistic approach might better fit the bill for you. It doesn't ditch all the customization options that you'd expect to find in a gaming laptop, but keeps just enough to make sure the experience stays fun. That's what gaming is all about, isn't it? While the keyboard and speaker systems aren't going to knock your socks off, the performance, display quality, and superb thermal design make the HP Omen 17 a gaming laptop to keep your eye on.

Without even opening the lid, the HP Omen 17's sleek look is apparent, and a refreshing departure from the gaming laptops we're used to seeing — ones with flashy graphics and RGB lighting all over the place. While we don't hate that look either, there's a time and place for both. The minimalistic features continue once you take a look inside, where you'll find a keyboard that screams simplicity and a vivid display that exceeded our expectations. In her review, Mashable Contributor Sarah Chaney lauded the 1440p, 240Hz screen for its top-notch visuals during demanding gameplay (specifically Helldivers 2). Though the brightness was lacking a bit, the quality of this display at an under-$2,000 price point is a great value.

In-game performance, in general, was impressive, with the HP Omen 17 scoring high marks on all of our benchmark tests. It was able to handle multiple AAA titles at high graphical settings with no issues, as long as we played with the laptop plugged in — the battery life is expectedly short at a little over one hour without being on a charger, so we recommend keeping it chained to an outlet during use. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the laptop, though, is its thermal design. We never felt like the computer was overheating, even during intense gameplay sessions, so we really feel that you can push this machine to its limits without risking a crash or starting a fire. We also liked the laptop's suite of ports, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, ethernet, three USB-A connections, USB-C, DC-in, and HDMI-2.1.

As for the cons, there aren't many. We weren't in love with the keyboard — it didn't have as much feedback as we would've liked, and the keys felt a bit "mushy." When it comes to audio, the Omen 17 is a bit of a flop due to its tinny speakers, but this can be remedied with a good gaming headset. In her review, Chaney concluded that the HP Omen 17 is a great gaming laptop for the price. "Its minor flaws and low battery life are easy to overlook if you’re the type of gamer who knows they’ll be connecting headphones, a mouse, and other peripherals for a better experience and won’t play unplugged because it often means sacrificing higher frame rates. If all you care about is overall performance and you’d prefer a gaming laptop with a minimalist look (and you don’t mind a plastic chassis), I’d say the HP Omen 17 is worth it."

Read Mashable's full review of the MSI Cyborg 15.

The MSI Cyborg 15 is a great gaming laptop for those who fall in the middle of the road when it comes to budget. Meaning, you don't want to get the cheapest laptop possible, but you don't necessarily want to shell out for the priciest one, either.

We should note that the version we tested had 2TB of SSD storage, but the available versions for sale have only 512GB.

Gedeon reviewed the MSI Cyborg 15, scoring it a 4.2 out of 5. Highlights from her hands-on review include the device's surprising performance for the price, variety of ports, cooling ability, and halfway-decent keyboard. While most gaming laptops at this price point will struggle with ultra-demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2, the Cyborg 15 had little issue.

"I’ve seen machines buckle under the great stress Cyberpunk 2077 puts them through," wrote Gedeon in her review of the machine. But after running a few benchmark tests, she came to the conclusion that the MSI Cyborg 15 can "handle some complex graphics rendering, particularly if you toggle on the right settings." That's great news for those who want to run processor-heavy games without having to stream via cloud, and also don't want to spend over $2,000.

Gedeon encountered two snags in the review process: the laptop's display and speakers. The display's max brightness was simply too low, which is a bummer for those who want to see their games in full, vivid color. The speakers' max volume was also a bit too low, but if you're playing with a gaming headset, you shouldn't have any issues.

Ultimately, if you're OK with not shopping from the top shelf, the MSI Cyborg 15 is a more than solid choice. As Gedeon put it, "If you’re a practical gamer who wants bare bones specs — acceptable frame rates, a 1080p display, and a comfortable keyboard — the MSI Cyborg 15 is ideal. Plus, you get it all for a great price."